Working with Saved Selection Sets in Revit 2013
Have you worked on a project in Revit and gone through the trouble of selecting a number of elements to be modified, then realized that you needed some additional information, or needed to check on something else before you modified the elements? Did you then clear the selection, checked on the information or reference, then went back and re-selected the same elements previously so that NOW you could modify it?
New to Revit 2013, you have the ability to save any selection of elements that you have selected, and recall those selections at any point.
In order to Save Selection Sets you must first select the elements that will be within the selection. Standard selection methods apply, [Cntrl] + Pick, Drag the cursor for Window and Crossing selections, or use Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013.
Once the elements have been selected, in the Modify| Xxxx tab, under the Selection panel, you can select the Save tool to create a Saved Selection. Enter a name for the desired selection. Later this selection set can be recalled at any time by accessing the Manage tab, and under the Selection panel selecting the Load tool. This will display the Retrieve Filters dialog where your saved selections can be recalled, selecting the elements within the filter.
As the Load button is placed in the Manage tab, I have found it advantageous for it to be placed in my Quick Access toolbar for quick retrieval of my saved selections. This has been something needed for quite some time and I am very excited to take advantage of selection sets that I create in my models.
Ron Palma AEC Solutions Application Specialist
Ron has 23+ years of experience in the AEC industry as a designer, lead project designer, trainer and CAD manager. His instructional background includes Autodesk Certified Instructor, trainer, support technician, educator at Portland Community College and Clackamas Community College, and a U.S. Army certified instructor. Follow Ron @RonPalmaAEC.
Get it. Know it. Use it.
Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
Locating Views that are assigned to a Sheet in Revit
Have you ever activated a view on a sheet to make some quick changes or adjustments? Have you later needed to find out the name of the view on the sheet so that you can simply work on the actual view and not have to work on the view through the sheet? Here are some quick ways of finding out the name of a view placed on a sheet:
- While the view is active, turn on the crop boundary. Hover the cursor over the boundary to read the tooltip and status bar. This will tell you what the view name is.
- In the Project Browser under the Sheets category, expand the [+] beside the Sheet name and a list of the views assigned to the sheet will be displayed.
- My favorite option, especially if you have a number of views on a sheet such as a detail sheet is to use the Ideate Explorer for Revit. With this method, look at the Visible in Active View option. This will display a Viewports Result, expand the Viewports until you can see a list of views.
You can download Ideate Explorer by visiting the Ideate Explorer website.
AEC Solutions Application Specialist
Ron has 23+ years of experience in the AEC industry as a designer, lead project designer, trainer and CAD manager. His instructional background includes Autodesk Certified Instructor, trainer, support technician, educator at Portland Community College and Clackamas Community College, and a U.S. Army certified instructor. Follow Ron @RonPalmaAEC.
Get it. Know it. Use it.
Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
Working with Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013
With the new release of Revit 2013, Ideate has been right there updating its software too. The new Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013 can be used to browse through elements in the entire project, in the active view, or through the current selection, to select individual elements, elements by type, or family. Additionally, a search window can be used to find elements in your project that contain specific text in their name.
You can use Ideate Explorer for Revit to Quickly Find and Select the Elements You Need:
You can use Ideate Explorer for Revit to Quickly Find and Select the Elements You Need:
- Ideate Explorer for Revit will catalog or “index” all the elements within your project, including elements not found within the Project Browser and elements that are invisible.
- Information can be organized by Category, Workset, Room, Space or Level. Use the text-based search to dig into Family Name, Type Name, Part Materials, or any Text string for even more complex searching.
- Use Ideate Explorer for Revit to open views where elements are visible.
- Use Ideate Explorer for Revit to select all or some elements based on your criteria then exit and use Revit to make the changes you need such as: delete elements, swap elements for different types, edit element properties.
With the introduction of Parts in Revit 2012, these type of elements can be divided, and their materials changed. Use Ideate Explorer for Revit to search for parts that are using a named material, so that you can make property changes.
One change that has been beneficial to me is the ability of placing the Ideate Explorer tool in the Quick Access Toolbar. To do so, right-click the Ideate Explorer tool in the Add-Ins tab, and add it to the Quick Access toolbar. This tool will now remain in the toolbar regardless of whether you close Revit, or open a new Project. So now, Ideate Explorer for Revit is right at your finger tips!
Download your free trial today.
One change that has been beneficial to me is the ability of placing the Ideate Explorer tool in the Quick Access Toolbar. To do so, right-click the Ideate Explorer tool in the Add-Ins tab, and add it to the Quick Access toolbar. This tool will now remain in the toolbar regardless of whether you close Revit, or open a new Project. So now, Ideate Explorer for Revit is right at your finger tips!
Download your free trial today.
Ron Palma AEC Solutions Application Specialist
Ron has 23+ years of experience in the AEC industry as a designer, lead project designer, trainer and CAD manager. His instructional background includes Autodesk Certified Instructor, trainer, support technician, educator at Portland Community College and Clackamas Community College, and a U.S. Army certified instructor. Follow Ron @RonPalmaAEC.
Get it. Know it. Use it.
Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
Ideate, Inc. Announces Powerful Project Auditing with Ideate Explorer for Autodesk Revit 2013
SAN FRANCISCO, California – 05/02/2012 - Ideate, Inc., a leading Autodesk Authorized Developer and Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the AEC industry, today announced a 2013 update to Ideate Explorer for Autodesk Revit software. This new version is built for the Autodesk Revit 2013 suite of solutions and enhances the ability to search, select, and audit Revit building information models.
Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013 includes new elements that directly correspond to Autodesk Revit 2013, including a number of stair elements, support for View References which permit scanning and zooming to any reference location. Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013 also includes enhanced support for Parts.
“Ideate Explorer will help users more efficiently navigate entities in any BIM project, but it’s been invaluable for cleaning up and standardizing conversions from AutoCAD,” notes Ideate customer Crystal Pearson, CAD Lead at Tetra Tech. “Not only has Explorer saved us a great amount of time; it has also eliminated much of the frustration we would have experienced without it. Users of all levels will instantly see the benefits of this essential tool.”
“We recognize the importance of a timely product delivery and are pleased to be able to deliver both Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013 and Ideate BIMLink within a few days of the official Autodesk Revit product launch this year,” said Ideate Inc. president Bob Palioca.
Ideate Explorer for Revit is priced at US$399 with an upgrade from version 2012 priced at US$200. Ideate Explorer for Revit is currently available via download from www.ideateexplorer.com and from authorized Ideate reseller partners. For information on network pricing, contact explorer.sales@ideateinc.com.
Ideate Explorer for Revit works with Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Revit MEP, and Autodesk Revit Structure software in conjunction with all versions of Microsoft Excel. A no-charge 30-day trial version of Ideate Explorer software is available at www.ideateexplorer.com/free-trial/. Ideate Explorer for Revit and Ideate BIMLink will be shown at the upcoming Revit Technology Conferences (RTC); one in North America on June 28-30, 2012 and another in Australia May 24-26, 2012.
About Ideate, Inc.
Ideate, Inc. is a member of the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) with 25+ years experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM).
Ideate Explorer for Revit is a simple, powerful Autodesk Revit software add-on to explore, quantify and manage the 100,000+ building elements in a Revit model. www.ideateexplorer.com
Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk solutions provider, offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to AEC professionals. Established in 1992 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization. Ideate, Inc. operates five Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATC): San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose, California; Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Ideate facilities are Autodesk Authorized Certification Centers, providing globally recognized certification courses for professionals who sell, service and support Autodesk products and solutions. For more information visit www.ideateinc.com
Autodesk, ATC, AutoCAD and Revit, are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013 includes new elements that directly correspond to Autodesk Revit 2013, including a number of stair elements, support for View References which permit scanning and zooming to any reference location. Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013 also includes enhanced support for Parts.
“Ideate Explorer will help users more efficiently navigate entities in any BIM project, but it’s been invaluable for cleaning up and standardizing conversions from AutoCAD,” notes Ideate customer Crystal Pearson, CAD Lead at Tetra Tech. “Not only has Explorer saved us a great amount of time; it has also eliminated much of the frustration we would have experienced without it. Users of all levels will instantly see the benefits of this essential tool.”
“We recognize the importance of a timely product delivery and are pleased to be able to deliver both Ideate Explorer for Revit 2013 and Ideate BIMLink within a few days of the official Autodesk Revit product launch this year,” said Ideate Inc. president Bob Palioca.
Ideate Explorer for Revit is priced at US$399 with an upgrade from version 2012 priced at US$200. Ideate Explorer for Revit is currently available via download from www.ideateexplorer.com and from authorized Ideate reseller partners. For information on network pricing, contact explorer.sales@ideateinc.com.
Ideate Explorer for Revit works with Autodesk Revit Architecture, Autodesk Revit MEP, and Autodesk Revit Structure software in conjunction with all versions of Microsoft Excel. A no-charge 30-day trial version of Ideate Explorer software is available at www.ideateexplorer.com/free-trial/. Ideate Explorer for Revit and Ideate BIMLink will be shown at the upcoming Revit Technology Conferences (RTC); one in North America on June 28-30, 2012 and another in Australia May 24-26, 2012.
About Ideate, Inc.
Ideate, Inc. is a member of the Autodesk Developer Network (ADN) with 25+ years experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM).
Ideate Explorer for Revit is a simple, powerful Autodesk Revit software add-on to explore, quantify and manage the 100,000+ building elements in a Revit model. www.ideateexplorer.com
Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk solutions provider, offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to AEC professionals. Established in 1992 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Ideate is recognized as an Autodesk Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization. Ideate, Inc. operates five Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATC): San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose, California; Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Ideate facilities are Autodesk Authorized Certification Centers, providing globally recognized certification courses for professionals who sell, service and support Autodesk products and solutions. For more information visit www.ideateinc.com
Autodesk, ATC, AutoCAD and Revit, are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
Read This Before You Hit Delete…
(…or what you need to know about level hosted elements in Revit)
How could these (fill-in-the-blank) just disappear from the project? They were there yesterday, and now they’re gone!
How could these (fill-in-the-blank) just disappear from the project? They were there yesterday, and now they’re gone!
We don’t see this happening too often, perhaps once per month, but when it does, it’s a disaster. The BIM Manager usually assumes that Revit has a serious defect and is responsible for trashing the project while our support staff is inclined to assume that some user, unbeknownst to the BIM Manager, decided to randomly delete things and then not fess up. The truth is typically halfway between the two.
The culprit is the lowly level line which, when deleted, will take with it any object that it hosts. The kicker is that Revit won’t even warn you. Losing elements in a project can create days of lost effort. This is why auditing your level lines is Tip #4 from our Revit Project Auditing process.
Training staff to not create their own level lines (this should be the domain of the BIM Manager or Project Manager only) will help avoid this problem in the first place, but if you do encounter extraneous level lines, watch this Ideate Explorer for Revit video before you delete any levels!
See all of our Top Ten Auditing Tips for Revit Projects.
Ideate Explorer for Revit is an essential tool for Revit BIM Managers and is the best way to audit your Revit projects. To learn more visit us at www.ideateexplorer.com
Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
Speaking of Project Auditing, Don’t Forget Your Groups and RFAs
We spend a lot of time talking to customers about how to maintain a lean and robust BIM project database but not enough about also keeping the underlying custom content clean. Here’s a great tip that has surfaced with many of our customers via our Technical Support that highlights the need to audit Revit content; both for Groups and custom family files (RFAs).
Imported DWG/DGN content is the bane of many a BIM Manager. Ideate Explorer for Revit is the perfect tool to find and remove any hidden Imports. However, what Ideate Explorer for Revit does NOT do is find DWGs that may be nested within a custom family (RFA). If a DWG is brought into a family or Group and then not purged, the imported categories essentially infect the project with unwanted categories found within the Visibility Graphics. This can cause undesired results, particularly when Exporting the project back into DWG/DGN format.
To avoid these problems in the first place we recommend using Ideate Explorer to delete any non-essential items from Groups and Custom families as follows:
1. For Groups, select all items as you normally would to make a Group then:
- Run Ideate Explorer to audit the “Current Selection”
- Uncheck any Imports or other items not intended to be part of a Group. We would never advocate including an Import item within a Group. In Revit 2012, in fact, this behavior is no longer possible (mixing an Import with other detail items). If this problem has already surfaced, you should check out this article at the Revit Clinic which describes the painstaking procedure that may be required to fix the Group-related problem.
- Exit Ideate Explorer
- Use the Create Group command.
2. For custom families, use the Family Editor as you normally would, then:
- Run Ideate Explorer to audit all of the items in the “Entire Project”
- Check any Imports or other items not intended to be part of the Family.
- Exit Ideate Explorer
- With the unwanted items still checked, select the Delete Key.
- The last step, before publishing any BIM content for company use, is to purge - twice for good measure!
And, lastly, if you haven’t done so already, consider a company policy about both family and group creation per the steps above as it will surely mean fewer support calls!Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
Ideate - IMSCAD Alliance Brings Citrix Virtualization, Networking, Collaboration and Cloud Technologies to Customers
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, 03/08/2012 - Ideate, Inc. (ideateinc.com), an Autodesk Authorized Developer and leading Autodesk solutions provider offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting services to the AEC industry, announced today it has formed a strategic alliance with UK-based IMSCAD (imscad.co.uk).
IMSCAD, a recognized global leader in the deployment graphical 2D and 3D CAD applications and now CAD delivery on Citrix, is a long standing Citrix Solutions Partner and an Autodesk Development Partner, having assisted Autodesk in the development of “Citrix Ready” products. The Ideate-IMSCAD alliance brings Citrix, the market leader in application delivery and cloud technologies, to the Ideate product portfolio, with the experience, expertise and support of IMSCAD.
Citrix is number one in desktop and application virtualization, as well as the leading supplier in cloud infrastructures. Autodesk “Citrix ready” products empowers CAD users with the benefits of virtualization, being able to work from anywhere on any device with workstation comparable performance. IT departments benefit from reduced management costs and improved data security by centralizing both applications and data onto central servers.
According to Ideate, Inc. President, Bob Palioca, “The Ideate and IMSCAD alliance helps us streamline customer access to Ideate software solutions, training and consulting services and to virtualization, networking, collaboration and cloud technologies. When we put the right tools and solutions within our customers’ reach faster and easier, they succeed and they are delighted. That is our mission.”
Ideate, Inc. and IMSCAD will host a joint webinar detailing the benefits of running CAD applications on the Citrix platform on March 21, 2012 at 12PM PST. For complete details and registration, visit ideateinc.com or contact Ideate Director of Consulting David Haynes via phone at 888-662-7238 x 1047 or email at david.haynes@ideateinc.com
About Ideate, Inc.
Ideate, Inc. is a leading Autodesk solutions provider, offering quality software, training, support and custom consulting as well as 3D printing services to AEC professionals. Established in 1992 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, Ideate is recognized as a Gold Partner for Architecture, Engineering and Construction, one of Autodesk’s highest levels of authorization. Ideate, Inc. operates five Autodesk Authorized Training Centers (ATC): San Francisco, Sacramento and San Jose, California; Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington. Ideate facilities are Autodesk Authorized Certification Centers, providing globally recognized certification courses for professionals who sell, service and support Autodesk products and solutions. For more information visit www.ideateinc.com
Ideate, Inc. is also an Autodesk Authorized Developer with 25+ years experience in software development and specific focus on Building Information Modeling (BIM). Ideate BIMLink lets users pull data from a Revit file into user-friendly Microsoft Excel and push Excel data into Revit with equal ease. www.ideatebimlink.com
Ideate Explorer for Revit, is a simple, powerful Revit add-on to explore, quantify and manage the 10,000+ building elements in your Revit model. www.ideateexplorer.com
Autodesk, ATC and Revit, are registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or trademarks belong to their respective holders.
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Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
New Year's Resolution - Cleanup those RVTs!
Resolve to keep your RVTs clean and well oiled in 2012. Use Ideate Explorer for Revit to take on these essential tasks:
- Review/Cleanup Imports. Unused Import files (DWG/DGN) are cluttering your RVT and impacting performance. Get rid of them now while you can.
- Assure that only Company Standard Text and Dimensions are being used. It’s easy to use the wrong style of there are too many to choose from. Prevent printing headaches and make sure only approved styles are used.
- Audit keynote and revision usage. What’s been keynoted? Where are the revision clouds? You’re in charge of quality control – you need to know these answers.
- Review the model and detail lines. Improper use of model lines or selecting the wrong detail line will surely result in a printing mishap. Audit now.
- Audit the workset organization. Controlling performance and visibility through worksets can work well, until objects are misidentified. Review workset assignments quickly to nip these problems in the bud.
While not a complete list, it’s a great starting point. Start the year off right by auditing your projects today with Ideate Explorer for Revit.
Glynnis Patterson,
N.C.A.R.B. – Director of Services
Glynnis is a Registered Architect and has worked within the BIM industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is currently the Director of Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and implementing best practices solutions. In her spare time Glynnis is a member of the Morristown Environmental Commission and builds Lego projects. @GVPinNJ
Get it. Know it. Use it.
Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
Ideate Explorer for Revit - Auditing Key Notes
This was a great question that our Support team fielded last week about Keynotes. Ideate Explorer for Revit can easily handle this kind of request along with finding other hard-to-find items such as Revision Clouds, hidden DWG Imports, Model Lines, Text.
Question: Can Ideate Explorer for Revit tell you where keynotes are used? It would be very handy to see a list with each keynote and all the sheets it’s used on.
Answer: Ideate Explorer for Revit can help you find all the keynotes. Here’s a step-by-step on how to find and review your keynotes.
Glynnis Patterson,
N.C.A.R.B. – Director of Services
Glynnis is a Registered Architect and has worked within the BIM industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is currently the Director of Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and implementing best practices solutions. In her spare time Glynnis is a member of the Morristown Environmental Commission and builds Lego projects. @GVPinNJ
Get it. Know it. Use it.
Question: Can Ideate Explorer for Revit tell you where keynotes are used? It would be very handy to see a list with each keynote and all the sheets it’s used on.
Answer: Ideate Explorer for Revit can help you find all the keynotes. Here’s a step-by-step on how to find and review your keynotes.
- Index the “Entire Project” as shown; with Ideate Explorer 2012 this should take less than one minute, even with files that are 250 MB+.
- Select the Checkbox next to the “Keynote Tags” as shown. This is the same as selecting every Keynote Tag in the project.
- Select “Current Selection” as shown. This will clear the Results window of extraneous information.
- Change the View dropdown option from “Category” to “Instance List” as shown. At this point you can double-click on each item and Ideate Explorer for Revit will open up the view for reviewing/editing purposes OR you can export the list.
- To Export this list, right-click and select “Export to Excel.”
Give it a try! Download a free Trial of Ideate Explorer for Revit. What’s in your RVT?!
Glynnis Patterson,N.C.A.R.B. – Director of Services
Glynnis is a Registered Architect and has worked within the BIM industry since 1998. A graduate of Carnegie Mellon University, she has worked as an architect, educator and construction site manager. Glynnis is currently the Director of Development Services at Ideate, Inc. and continues to work with AEC clients across the nation, developing, and implementing best practices solutions. In her spare time Glynnis is a member of the Morristown Environmental Commission and builds Lego projects. @GVPinNJ
Get it. Know it. Use it.
Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
Searching for Specific Content with Ideate Explorer for Revit
Recently I spoke with a client who was wanting to search for elements within their Revit model that belonged to a level. Through the use of Ideate Explorer for Revit we were able to search in the entire project, for elements that belonged to a Level, and the search was specifically for walls. The following steps are used to find walls in the image:
- Step 1 Indicates that you are looking in the entire Project for the element(s).
- Step 2 Select that you want to look for items on a specific level.
- Step 3 Indicates what is being searched for. (this can be a category, or a keyword such as the word “Brick” in a wall, window, or family name.
Once the item is selected, use the Tools menu to show where the element is located in the project. Happy searching! If you would like to make suggestions on what you would like to see in future releases of Ideate Explorer for Revit send us your ideas.
Ron Palma AEC Solutions Application Specialist
Ron has 23+ years of experience in the AEC industry as a designer, lead project designer, trainer and CAD manager. His instructional background includes Autodesk Certified Instructor, trainer, support technician, educator at Portland Community College and Clackamas Community College, and a U.S. Army certified instructor. Follow Ron @RonPalmaAEC.
Get it. Know it. Use it.
Content copyright 2012 Ideate, Inc. www.ideateinc.com
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